Travel Notes

We are on the bus to Assisi and after our bathroom stop we talked about a few things we have noticed about differences between Europe and here. 

Firstly, most bathrooms cost money. Sometimes there are public restrooms that are free at service stations and other times they cost. In general, if there’s a cost then the bathrooms are quite nice!

Another thing we have noticed is the prices in shops and gas stations is that tax is already included. The taxes are quite high in Europe and it varies by type of products. This is supposed to encourage or discourage purchases.

For these merengues, three euros are the final cost. 

For example, there is a sugar tax on sodas because with universal health care it’s in the public interest for people to consume water instead of sweet drinks. On

 the other hand, books are taxed at a very low rate!

For takeaway drinks, you’ll get a paper lid instead of plastic. The EU has banned single use plastics (like straws, lids, plastic bowls, etc). As a bonus though most plastic bottle caps stay attached to the bottle so they don’t fall off! Super convenient! American manufacturers take note!

One student asked why the roads were so narrow. It’s because most of the streets were built well before cars, and even carriages in some instances. Parking is very high in the city, and public transit is usually very convenient, both of which encourage less car use and lead to more biking and walking. 

Very few SUVs are found in Europe. Gas is very costly, and parking is very hard. It’s much more common to see smaller and smart cars, hybrid cars, and electric vehicles. Garages are not common at all and pickup trucks are also not a thing here. Gas is priced by the litre and in Euros. Right now it’s about $8/gallon. 

Students have also noticed that cigarette smoking is more prevalent. It’s pretty common to see people smoking everywhere. At one restaurant in Lucerne the cigarette vending machine was right next to the baby changing table! 

If this all sounds good to you and if you’re interested in moving to Europe, here’s a quick view of real estate prices (prices per square meter and in Euros) in Vienna!